[Queenie]

Originally Posted by AbsurdJinx

Smokethorn hoped Bumblepaw had listened intently with an eagerness to learn, and he figured the younger tom did just that based off his expression of awe. He was especially convinced that his apprentice listened when Bumblepaw began to ask questions, questions about the topic at paw. Smokethorn prepared himself to answer each inquiry. He knew that intelligence was just as powerful as strength, which is why he intended to do more than physically train with the young tom. He planned to have training sessions where they would only sit down and talk about what Bumblepaw needed to learn, perhaps between the sessions where they would train long and hard.

``Yes, ShadowClan cats do occasionally eat rats and frogs, but rats carry diseases so they must be careful of what they eat. No, RiverClan cats cannot breathe underwater - they are not fish. I personally have never tasted fish, but it has a strong and stinking scent. SkyClan came from far away. They lived apart from the four other clans for ages, and came to join us at the end of the Evil Era. They were the ones who rid us of our evil leaders.`` Smokethorn remembered the Evil Era. It was harsh times. He was there when the evil leader of WindClan murdered a pawful of innocent clanmates just to state his authority. Among them were two elder lovers, a few newly-appointed warriors, and those who dared stand up to the leader who took on the suffix `night`. When SkyClan came to rid them of their evil leader, Smokethorn fought at the nursery entrance, fiercely turning away any heartless feline who tried to destroy the kit-filled den. He shuddered at the thought of the harsh moons.

Briefly pausing to recover from those haunting thoughts, Smokethorn cast a quick glance at Bumblepaw just to make sure the apprentice hadn't noticed his horrified trembling. He swiftly continued the lecture, though, to distract Bumblepaw from the break in his lesson. Smokethorn's gaze darkened considerably with hatred for the clan they were fighting with, ``ThunderClan did many things. The most noticeable thing they did was murder my friend, our former deputy, Shrikecall. He would've made a worthy leader one day, if he weren't as old as dirt,`` Smokethorn released an amused chuckle as he teased his deceased friend, but his expression darkened once again. ``They've stolen our prey too many times to count. They've blamed us for stealing their prey, for causing border scuffles and severely injuring their clanmates - even killing a few. They kidnapped Blazingstar's mother, too, and he had to gather a patrol to go fetch her.``

He shook his head in disapproval for ThunderClan's actions, sighing under his breath. ``Anyway,`` he meowed, coughing as if to break the tension he was feeling, ``Do you have any other questions before I introduce you to the scents of the other clans? We're going to patrol the borders!``

Deep intensity filled Bumblepaws wide eyes as he stared on at Smokethorn. His questions flying from his mouth and back to his mind with answers. The apprentice felt a sense of pride in himself. Something that wasn’t usually present in Bumblepaws life. His chest swelled as the questions flew from his mouth and back into his head with new facts to ponder over. He wondered why Thunderclan was acting so strange, after so many moons of peace. The tom, although loyal to Windclan hoped the two would reconcile soon. Maybe it was a misunderstanding? Bumblepaw shook his head the thoughts of a fight leaving him.

At the mention of a patrol Bumblepaw stopped thinking. Any questions he had escaped his mind. The idea of visiting the borders made him buzz with excitement. As long as the other clan cats stayed away. Bumblepaw shoved this new information deep into his brain where he’d find it later and contemplate over for hours. He loved learning, and Smokethorn was a great teacher. His mother, he was sure, would love to hear it. His siblings might even find the information interesting. Bumblepaw almost skipped with joy at the thought of bonding with his littermates. “Oh yes please!” Bumblepaw mewed politely his maw curling into a smile.

Trying to reign in his excitement Bumblepaw stood. He waited patiently for Smokethorn to decide where to go first. The young tom hoped they would go near Thunderclan at all though, despite the excitement. He sensed the dark aura that flooded Smokethorn when he thought about Shrikecall. It must’ve been hard for his mentor with all that loss in his life. Bumblepaw didn’t really have that kind of sacrifice and he hoped he never would. Despite being the underdog, his literates and parents were his closest friends. Bumblepaw almost wanted to cry for Smokethorn. He wondered how much sadness this cat had really endured. It made Bumblepaws chest swell. Any thought of doubt that plagued his head dissipated into oblivion. It was replaced with only the hope that Smokethorn would be proud of him. “Lets go!” Bumblepaw piped.